Treatment of hydrocarbon oils



March 7, 1933 D. J, BERGMAN TREATMENT 0F HYDROCARBON OILS Filed Aug. 1l, 1950 IF N.

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INVENTOR DONALD J. BERGMAN Patented Mar. 7, 1933 "uNrrlazDv STATES PATENT .OFFICE DONALD J'. BERGM'A-N, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORIEORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBON OILS Application led August '11, 1930. Serial No. 474,428.

rl [`his inventionrelates to the treatment of hydrocarbon oils, and refers more particularly to the conversion of high boiling hydrocarbons into lower boiling hydrocarbons.

In a specific embodiment, the invention contemplates the provision of a process which comprises subjecting hydrocarbon oils to heat treatment under conversion conditions thereof, into a reaction zone, withdrawing the products undergoing treatment in the reaction zone through a common outlet and discharging the same into one or more chambers at a reduced pressure relative to that maintained upon the heating element, wherein the reflux condensate is undergoing treat'- ment, and the reaction zone, consisting preferably of a chamber, subjecting the vapors from the chamber or chambers under reduced pressure to a dephlegmating action, thereby causing the formation of reflux condensate, and returning the reflux condensate to the heating element to be heated to conversion conditions, and continuing the process as described.

A portion of the combined feed consisting of the heated reflux condensate together with the raw oil charging stock may be caused to by-pass the reaction chamber and discharge directly into the chambers under reduced pressure, hereinafter referred to as coking chambers. b

The final products of the process consist generally of coke and a distillate, said distillate resulting from the cooling and condensing of the vapors leaving the dephlegmating zone, the coke accumulating in the cokingA chambers. erated, however, to produce unvaporized'liquid residue which may be withdrawn from the coking chambers.

Referring to the drawing, which is diagrammatic and not to scale, and which shows The process may be op.

one form'of apparatus suitable for carrying out the process of my invention, the raw oil charging stock is fed through line 1, controlled by valve 2, and is pumped by means of pump 3 through line 4, from where yit may enter a vaporizing chamber 5 through line 6, controlled by valve 7, or the charging stock may be passedthrough line 8, controlled by valve 9, to indirect heat exchanger 10 located in the dephlegmator or fractionating column 11, the preheated oil passing through line 12, controlled by valve 14, into line 6, and from there into the vaporizing chamber 5.

rIhe vapors formed as a result of this op- 'through line 15, controlled by valve 16, and

pumped by meansof pump 17 through line 18 into heating element 19 located in furnace setting 19.

Thereiux condensate is heated to relatively high conversiontemperatures in the heating element 19 and is discharged through line 20, controlled by, valve 21, where it is and other products chamber 5 through line 22, controlled by valve 23 and pumped by means of .pump 25 through line 27 and valves 26 and 28 into the discharge line 20, from heating element 19. The reflux condensate heated to its conversion temperature is co-mingled with the-raw oil.

and other liquid products leaving the vaporizing chamber 5, which serves to cool the highly heated reux condensate, and thecombined feed so formed,'or a portion thereof, is discharged through line 30 into the reaction chamber 31. ,The products of conversion, as well as the unconverted products con- -sisting of liquids, vapors and gases, are withthrough drawn from 'reaction chamber 31 linev 32, controlled by valve 33, and are passed through line 35 from where they may be dis-V combined with the unvaporized charging oil l leaving the vaporizing charged into either one or both of' coking chambers 36 and 37, preferably operating the chambers alternately through lines 38 and 39, controlled by valves 40 and 41. When desired, unvaporized liquid residue may be withdrawn through lines 36 and 37 from coking chambers 36 and 37, respectively, controlling the withdrawal by means of valves 38 and 39".

A portion of the unvaporized material leaving the vaporizing chamber 5 through line 22 may be caused to by-pass the reaction chamber 31 and be fed from line 27 through line 35 into the coking chambers 36 and 37. The vapors leaving the coking chambers 36 and 37 pass through lines 36 and 37', controlled by valves 38 and 39', respectively, into line 42, and from there through line 43 into the vaporizing chamber 5. rllhese vapors serve to further heat the raw oil charging stock entering the vaporizing chamber 5 and are partially condensed therein, the condensed portion passing together with the unvaporized raw oil charging stock through line 22 to further treatment, as previously described.

The vapors from vaporizing chamber 5 pass up through dephlegmator or fractionator 11 wherein the heavier components condense and are returned for further conversion to the heating element 19. The vapors leaving the dephlegmator or fractionator 11 pass through line 45, controlled by valve 46, and through cooler and condenser 47, the products thereof passing through line 48, controlled by valve 49, into receiver 50. rllhe liquid is Withdrawn from receiver 50 through line 51, controlled by valve 52. The gases are withdrawn from receiver 50 through line 53, controlled by valve 54. A portion of the liquid may be withdrawn from receiver 50 through line 55, controlled by valve 56 and recirculated to dephlegmator 11, by means of pump 57 through line 58, controlled by valve 60, the liquid serving to cool the vapors arising in dephlegmator 11, and controlling the product emerging therefrom, as well as assisting in condensing the heavier components of the vapors to form reflux condensate.

The process of my invention may be operated so that the heating element 19 will be under equalized pressure with respect to the reaction chamber 31, or differential pressures may be maintained thereupon with thev pressure on the reaction chamber 31 being very much less than that upon heating element 19. Preferably the coking chambers, the fractionating or dephlegmating element, vaporizing chamber, condenser and receiver are operated at lower pressures than the heating element and reaction chamber, although the pressures throughout the system may be equalized. v

As a specific example of the operation of the process of my invention, a 30 A. ll). ll.

gravity topped Mid-Continent crude oil was treated, feeding the samethrough the indirect heat exchanger 10 and discharging into the vaporizing chamber 5. The temperature upon the heating element 19 was maintained at approximately 10000 F. The reflux condensate emerging from the heating element 19 was cooled by means of the oil withdrawn from the vaporizing chamber 5 to a temperature of approximately 9000 F., and discharged into the reaction chamber 31. The liquid entering the coking chambers 36 and 37, which were operated alternately, was re.- duced to coke. Y

A yield of approximately of gasoline of high anti-knock properties and approximately 60 pounds ot' coke per barrel of oil treated was produced, the remaining product being gas. By passing a portion of the material leaving the vaporizing chamber 5 directly into the coking chambers 36 and 37, caused a higher temperature in the reaction chamber 31 and increased the conversion per pass.

The process of my invention is subject to many operating variations, depending upon the Aresults desired, as Well as upon economic conditions generally, and the example given is by way of illustration only and should not be construed as a limitation upon the broad scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention A hydrocarbon oil cracking process which comprises passing the raw charging oil for the process countercurrent to and in direct contact with flashed vapors in a contacting zone to vaporize a substantial portion of the charging oil by the heat of said vapors, dephlegmating the resultant commingled vapors out of direct Contact with raw charging oil thereby forming a relatively clean cracking stock, passing said stock, unadmixed with raw charging oil, in a restricted stream through a heating zone and heating the same therein to cracking temperature under pressure, removing the unvaporized portion of said charging oil from the contacting zone and commingling the same, Without prior heating to cracking temperature, with the heated cracking stock in an unheated zone maintained under pressure, withdrawing unvaporized oil from the last mentioned zone and flash distilling the same by pressure reduction in` a flashing zone, separately removing vapors and residue fromA the flashing Zone and isolating the latter from the process, and supplying the last mentioned vapors to said contacting zone to constitute said flashed vapors.

ln testimony whereof l atlix my signature.

DONALD J. BERGMAN. 

